Cinderella
Cinderella is a 1950 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on the fairy tale Cendrillon by Charles Perrault, it is twelfth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, and was released on February 15, 1950. Directing credits go to Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske and Wilfred Jackson. Songs were written by Mack David, Jerry Livingston and Al Hoffman. Songs in the film include Cinderella, A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, Sing Sweet Nightingale, The Work Song, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo, and So This is Love. It features the voices of Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Rhoda Williams, James MacDonald, Luis van Rooten, Don Barclay, Mike Douglas and Lucille Bliss. At the time, Walt Disney Productions had suffered from losing connections to the European film markets due to the outbreak of World War II, enduring some box office disasters like Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Bambi, all of which would later become more successful with several re-releases in theatres and on home video. At the time, however, the studio was over 4 million dollars in debt and was on the verge of bankruptcy. Walt Disney and his animators turned back to features film production in 1948 after producing a string of package films with the idea of adapting Charles Perrault's Cendrillon into a motion picture. It is the first Disney film in which all of Disney's Nine Old Men worked together as directing animators. After two years in production Cinderella was finally released on February 15, 1950. It became the greatest critical and commercial hit for the studio since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and helped reverse the studio's fortunes. It is considered one of the best American animated films ever made, as selected by the American Film Institute. It received three Academy Award nominations, including Best Music, Original Song for Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo. Decades later, it was followed by two direct-to-video sequels: Cinderella II: Dreams Come True and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time. Plot Cinderella is the beloved child of a widowed gentleman. While a kind and devoted father who feels as though his daughter needs a mother's care, he remarries to a widowed woman Lady Tremaine, who has two daughters of her own: Drizella and Anastasia. After Cinderella's father dies unexpectedly, Lady Tremaine is revealed to be a cruel and selfish woman, and Cinderella is humiliated and mistreated by her stepfamily, who take over the estate and ultimately reduce her to being a scullery maid in her own home. Despite this, Cinderella grows into a kind and gentle young woman, befriending the animals in the barn and the mice and birds who live around the chateau. One day, while Cinderella is preparing breakfast, Lady Tremaine's cat Lucifer chases Gus, one of the mice, into the kitchen. Cinderella delivers breakfast to her stepfamily, unaware that Gus is hiding under Anastasia's teacup. This makes Anastasia so angry that she tells her mother of the apparent prank, so Lady Tremaine punishes Cinderella with extra chores. Meanwhile at the royal palace, the King discusses with the Grand Duke his desire for his son Prince Charming to settle down and have children. They organise a ball in an effort to find a suitable wife for the Prince without arousing suspicion. Cinderella asks her stepmother if she can attend, as the invitation says every eligible maiden is to attend. Lady Tremaine agrees, provided that Cinderella finishes her chores and finds a nice dress to wear. Cinderella's animal friends, led by Jaq, Gus and the other mice, fix up a gown that belonged to Cinderella's mother using beads and a sash thrown out by Drizella and Anastasia, respectively. When Cinderella comes down wearing her new dress, Lady Tremaine compliments the gown, pointing out the beads and the sash. Angered by the apparent theft of their discarded items, the two stepsisters destroy the gown. Just as Cinderella is about to give up hope, her Fairy Godmother appears and turns the remains of Cinderella's dress with her magic wand into a new ball gown with glass slippers. She also transforms a pumpkin into a carriage, the mice into horses, her horse into a coachman, and her dog Bruno into a footman. Fairy Godmother warns her the spell will break at the stroke of midnight. At the ball, the Prinsen rejects every girl until he sees Cinderella. The two fall strongly in love and dance alone throughout the castle grounds until the clock starts to chime midnight. Cinderella flees to her coach and away from the castle, losing one of her glass slippers. After her gown turns back into rags, the mice point out that the other slippers is still on her foot. Back at the castle, the Duke tells the King of the Prince's meeting with the unknown girl. The King, after hearing that the girl disappeared, and thinking that the Duke was in league with the Prince all along, goes into a rage and tries to behead him. Fortunately, the Duke is able to calm him down with news of the girl's glass slipper and states that the Prince will only marry the girl who fits that slipper. The next morning, the King proclaims the Grand Duke will visit every house in the kingdom to find the girl whose foot fits the glass slipper. When news reaches Cinderella's household, her stepfamily prepare for the Duke's arrival. Overhearing this, Cinderella dreamingly hums the song played at the ball. Realising Cinderella was the girl who danced with the Prince, Lady Tremaine locks her in the attic. When the Duke arrives, Jaq and Gus steal the key to Cinderella's room, but Lucifer ambushes them before they can free her. With the help of the other animals and Bruno, they chase him out the window and Cinderella is freed. As the Duke prepares to leave after the stepsisters have tried to shove their enormous feet into the slipper, Cinderella appears and requests to try it on. Knowing the slipper will fit, Lady Tremaine trips the footman, causing him to drop the slipper, which shatters on the floor. Cinderella then produces the other glass slipper, much to her stepmother's horror. A delighted Duke slides the slipper onto her foot, and it fits perfectly. Cinderella and the Prince celebrate their wedding and live happily ever after. Cast * Ilene Woods as Cinderella * William Phipps as Prince Charming (sung by Mike Douglas) * Eleanor Audley as Lady Tremaine * Verna Felton as Fairy Godmother * Luis van Rooten as the The King and Grand Duke * Jimmy MacDonalds as Jaq, Gus and Bruno * Rhoda Williams as Drizella Tremaine * Lucille Bliss as Anastasia Tremaine * June Foray as Lucifer * Betty Lou Gerson as the Narrator * Don Barclay as Doorman Songs * Cinderella (performed by chorus, reprised by Clint McCauley and other Mice) * A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes (performed by Ilene Woods, reprises by a chorus and Marni Nixon at the end) * Sing, Sweet Nightinggale (performed by Eleanor Audley, Rhoda Williams and Ilene Woods) * The Work Song (performed by chorus * Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo (performed by Verna Felton and chorus * So This Is Love (performed by Ilene Woods and Mike Douglas) International releases For information about international dubs and releases, Cinderella/International. Category:1950 films Category:1950s American animated films Category:American musical films Category:Film produced by Walt Disney Category:Films directed by Clyde Geronimi Category:Films directed by Hamilton Luske Category:Films directed by Wilfred Jackson Category:Film scores by Paul Smith Category:Film scores by Oliver Wallace Category:Disney Princess Category:Walt Disney Pictures Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios films Category:Walt Disney Feature Animation